Yonkou and Shichibukai
by ChangeInHeart
Summary: just a bunch of short stories about how Shanks and Mihawk became friends. Chapter 3: Let the Sleeping Dog Lie:...or face the consequences that result. T for language and violence.
1. How They Met

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

This isn't going to be a full blown story…just a few ramblings of how Shanks and Hawk-Eye became friends. I'm also using the deviantart: how did they meet by pinki100 as starting point: #/d2jk6cv

How They Met

He felt several pairs of eyes on him. As he turned to see who they were, he heard a small commotion and what sounded like a fist hitting something hollow.

"That's a MAN!" growled the Dark King, Rayleigh. He was standing over a boy with blue hair and a giant red nose. "Get your eyes checked, Red Nose!"

"Owwwwwww," sobbed the boy clown. "And don't call me Red Nose!"

Many of the men around them burst out laughing.

"Shut up!" he cried angrily. He went to massage the growing lump on his head but paused, "Wait…Where's Shanks?"

The young man who'd been watching the scene suddenly found his view blocked by a straw hat and flaming red hair. The clown's companion who was arguing with the clown earlier was now sitting beside him at the bar.

"Yo, Friend! You alone?" Shanks grinned. He noticed the quiet young man with strange yellow eyes walk in a few minutes earlier and decided to use Buggy's misfortunate observation as a chance to talk to him. The newcomer said nothing as he turned back to his drink. Shanks pointed back to where Buggy and Rayleigh were sitting.

"Come, you should join us—"

"I don't make it a habit of conversing with weak underlings," stated the young man in a quiet voice.

"Huh?" Shanks didn't get a chance ask what he meant. He found himself on the floor. The stranger had kicked his chair out from under him.

"Don't consider me to be on the same level as you." He looked down on Shanks as he dumped the remainder of his drink on the redhead.

The room became silent. The young man looked up to find the others glaring at him. Many reached for their weapons.

"TEME!" hissed Buggy, tossing his daggers at the offender. "Only I can do that to Shanks!"

Faster than the eye could see, the yellow-eyed boy drew his nodachi and deflected them. _This boy is well rehearsed in the Sword, _thought Rayleigh. He made to grab his own blade.

"Matte, Rayleigh!"

"Captain!" Rayleigh glanced over his shoulder at the man sitting in the back of the tavern. The King's signature grin flashed in the shadows. He studied the boy for a moment before he spoke, "Alright there, Shanks?"

"Yessir!" Shanks laughed as if nothing happened, "Must've leaned too far back and my chair fell, taking this guy's drink along with me. My mistake!"

"There. You see, gentlemen, nothing to worrying about!" Roger laughed as well. "Go back to your drinks."

The men in the tavern did as they were told, but a few of them still glanced over their shoulders at the instigator.

"Tell me, boy, what's your name?" inquired Roger.

"Dracule Mihawk." Mihawk held Roger's gaze without hesitation. "And you are the Pirate King, Gold Roger—."

"Do not call me that!" Roger corrected him, "My name is Gol _**D.**_ Roger! You will do well to remember that, boy."

"Mihawk?" whispered a patron. "_Hawk-Eye _Mihawk? The rookie that sails without a crew?"

"I heard he was exiled from the Wano Kingdom."

"That's why he's so skilled with a sword…Rumor has it he can see through his opponent's attacks."

"A devil fruit maybe?"

"Nah I doubt it." Hawk-Eye ignored the murmurings around him as he focused solely on the man who conquered the Grand line.

"What is it you want from me?" Roger asked.

"I came here to challenge you." The room was silent again. Roger burst out laughing. "Challenge me you say? Why?"

"Right now you're the strongest man on the sea." He pointed his blade at Roger, "if I beat you then I take the title of the strongest."

"Is that so? Very well. I accept your challenge." His crew looked at the man in surprise.

Mihawk made for the door when Roger said, "your opponent will be Shanks."

"What?!" exclaimed the three youngest pirates in the room. Actually Shanks and Mihawk simply expressed mild surprise while Buggy shrieked.

"Why does Shanks get to fight him?! I can take him!" This earned Buggy another lump on the head.

"You would have me fight a mere child!" Mihawk's voice became a deadly whisper, "To hide behind weaklings is a coward's move. You insult me!"

"On the contrary, I commend you." Roger spoke in a fierce voice, compelling the young man to listen, "To make it this far on the Grand line by yourself is quite a feat. Not even I—"the strongest man on the sea"—could accomplish such a thing without the help of my nakama. I assure you—Dracule Mihawk—when you beat Shanks, then will I fight you. You have my word."

Mihawk closed his eyes and turned to Shanks, "Let's get this over with, boy." He paused and looked at his opponent. The redhead had been in the process of getting up when he and Roger had their confrontation, but now he was standing stock still, still dripping in liquor, with the straw hat hiding his features. "What is it?"

"You can beat me down, dump sake on me and belittle me all you want, I can take it. However," Shanks' words oozed with venom. "I WILL NOT STAND BY AND LET YOU INSULT MY CAPTAIN!"

Mihwak suddenly felt as though he was being oppressed. An invisible force swept past him and shattered many glasses and bottles behind the bar. He recognized this as haki. He glared at the boy in wonder…how was it possible for someone like him to possess such power?

The men behind them burst out laughing again. "Put it away, kid!"

"ROGER!" a woman with short black hair shouted, "Take it outside! Hama-ba will have your head for any damages to the tavern."

"Gomen, gomen, Shakki-chan," Roger chuckled as he and the others stood to leave.

Outside a crowd gathered around the two teens as they stared each other down. Crocus stood between the two competitors as the referee, Rayleigh stood with Roger where they had an unobstructed view of the battlefield, while Buggy stood off to Mihawk's side of field. Everyone was either cheering the boys on or making cat calls at them.

"Hey, Shanks! Don't lose your head!" Someone shouted. Shanks grinned as everyone laughed.

"Shanks is a pushover! You can beat him easy!" Buggy spoke words of encouragement to the quiet swordsman.

Mihawk's head barely moved as he looked back at the clown. "What are you doing?"

"I hate Shanks with a passion. So I've decided to lend you my support."

"A weakling who hides behind others is a coward. A coward who cannot even admit to his own weakness is pathetic." Buggy bristled at his words and began imagining slow and flashy deaths for the both Shanks and the yellow-eyed swordsman.

"Alright, listen up! " Crocus shouted for the crowd to hear, "If you throw in the towel, you will be declared the loser. If your sword breaks you will be disqualified and declared the loser. If you are rendered unconscious, you will be disqualified and declared the loser. If you die, you will be declared the loser. Ready…START!"

The crowd roared as the two combatants clashed. Only Roger and Rayleigh remained quiet during the fight.

"Ibo," Roger spoke quietly as Mihawk sent flurry of slashes down on Shanks which Shanks parried and countered with a barrage of his own. "That sword…"

"Yeah, it's the cursed blade Kikoku. " Rayleigh answered, "Question is: how'd this brat tame it?"

"I don't care. But this young man is certainly interesting."

"I don't think Shanks has what it takes to beat him." Rayleigh watched as Shanks dodged out of the way when Mihawk attempted to use a sword breaking technique.

"Willing to place money on it?" Roger asked.

"You're on." They shook on it. Roger grinned as though he knew something his first mate didn't.

Mihawk shot up when he realized he'd been asleep. The first thing he noticed was the bandages.

"Oh. So you're awake, are you?" Crocus walked into the room.

"Who won?" The boy went straight to the point.

"Neither. The two of you collapsed that the same time. We brought you back to the ship and fixed you up. You've been out for three days now."

"Three days?" Mihawk looked out the door and got a view of the deck. The red-head was sitting on a rowboat and talking to the clown. He was also in bandages. As if he knew someone was watching him, he looked up and grinned.

"Shanks woke up yesterday." Crocus noticed the boy's gaze. "Energetic brat."

Suddenly a scuffle broke out between Shanks and the clown.

"Knock it off," growled Crocus, "or I'll throw you both overboard!"

Buggy pulled away in horror. "You can't do that. I'd drown."

"Good. Then I'd finally get some peace and quiet around here." He laughed as the clown turned several different colors.

There was a party that night on the Oro Jackson, but Mihawk didn't feel like participating. He just sat off to the side with his back to the merrymaking. Out of the corner of his eye, captain and first mate were having an argument. It ended with the first mate begrudgingly departing with a large sum of money. Roger grinned as he pocketed the pouch and made his way over to their guest. He leaned against the railing with his back to the sea and waited.

"What was that about?" The youngster spoke quietly.

"A bet." Roger answered.

"A bet?"

"Rayleigh thought Shanks was going to lose. I disagreed."

"He didn't win—"

"He didn't lose either." His grin grew wider still.

Mihawk looked up at the captain. Was Roger implying that he knew it'd be a draw? His eyes narrowed.

"You have no intention of fighting me." That was a fact not a question.

"I will say this: You have a strong will and I see you accomplishing many things. However rushing into things is a surefire way to end up dead." Roger said, "Had you challenged Whitebeard or Shiki, you would have been press-ganged or killed."

The young swordsman said nothing.

"Here's my advice: Take it one step at a time…I've seen too many Rookies fall because they were in over their heads." He patted Mihawk on the shoulder, earning a piercing glare from the young pirate. "Overcome Shanks, then we'll talk…as equals." And the Pirate King left him to think it over.

The next day, the strange young swordsman was nowhere to be found.

"Good riddance!" breathed Buggy in relief. Having the older boy around had been nothing short of nerve-racking. Shanks, on the other hand, was somewhat disappointed. He slouched over the railing. He had to admit the swordfight was fun…He thoroughly enjoyed that match against Dracule Mihawk more than any training he'd done with Rayleigh. A hand rested gently on his head. He looked up to find the captain grinning at him.

"Don't worry. I'm certain you'll run into each other again."

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Here's my first story after a long year….I don't intend it to be much…just a few short stories about how they became friends…Also please don't expect me to update on a regular basis. I'm not very good at doing that. But I hope you liked the interactions between Shanks and Hawkeye and Roger and the bit of Buggy-bashing. **

**A bit on this chapter…This takes place between the time Roger becomes Pirate King and the time he disbands his crew:**

**Shanks: 13-14 yrs**

**Mihawk: 17-18 yrs**

**I checked on the One Piece Wiki and it said Hawkeye was a good four years older than Shanks.**

**Hama-ba: Short for Hama-bachan or Granny Hama. Hama is the tavern owner, a fierce old hag with the ability to put even seasoned pirates in their place. OC…She may or may not be making an appearance in later chapters.**

**Japanese terms: One Piece is one of the few I watch in the original Japanese so to me it doesn't sound **

**right to do the story in all English…but I only used a few common words:**

**Matte: wait**

**Teme: a derogatory word for you…most subbers translate it as "you bastard"**

**Nodachi: a field sword…longer than a katana.**

**-ba and –chan: suffixes usually added at the end of a name….in this case these are meant to be nicknames.**

**Nakama: friend, comrade, crew**

**Ibo: Partner**

**Gomen: Sorry**

**Well I'll sign out. As always please read and review and have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**

**6/7/14 edit: I made a major change after some info was recently revealed. Now before you all spam me with corrections…I did this on purpose. I plan on elaborating on this in Freedom's Neverland, if I don't get around to doing it in here.**


	2. The Beginning of an Era

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Thank you Page-Mistress and Tonochi for your reviews XD. I try my best to keep everyone in character even though there's very little to go on. And yes, in a way Shanks was pouting.

Beginning of an Era

Now almost two years had passed and several events occurred. The Pirate King's crew was disbanded and their captain captured by "Iron Fist" Garp. The Golden Lion was arrested after causing an upheaval at Marineford. The Pirate King's execution was to take place in his hometown, Loguetown of East Blue. Considered by marines and pirates alike as the town of beginnings, the marines chose here in hopes of putting an end to the Era of Pirates.

The normally busy port town was unbelievably packed. People from all over had come to see the end of the notorious outlaw. But not all were there to see justice done; many had simply come to see the man who conquered Grand line and gave the government so much trouble. They crowded around the streets and town square where the marines had set up an execution platform. Many watched from windows several stories above Main Street and on rooftops to have a better view. Known pirates blended in with the crowd. The execution was to be at noon. It seemed even the weather held its breath as the appointed time drew near.

Then as the clock tower struck noon, from the docks where Roger's escort ship was anchored, marines began to cut a path through the crowd. They stood at attention every few feet to maintain crowd control. All muttering stopped as the procession made its way to the execution platform. Two Marines were in front carrying flags of the Navy and World Government. Eight marines were behind them with pikes at attention; four behind the prisoner and four in front with the last two in the front group leading the chains. And… at the very center of the march was the man who had it all: Fame, Wealth, Power. Though his hands were bound and he was walking to his death, he stood tall with a grin on his face.

A boy with greenish white hair had shoved his way through the crowd and almost ended up in the path of the condemned pirate. Roger smiled at him as he passed. He looked into the crowd as he went by and spotted several familiar faces: Crocodile, Donquixote Doflamingo, the ghoulish Gekko Moria. He even spotted Garp's mysterious son watching from the shadows. And out of the mass of faces came a very familiar straw hat. Shanks and Buggy, who was not too far from the redhead, wore looks of helplessness on their faces as they watched their captain for the last time. He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement to his young apprentices and to give them a bit of encouragement. _Live without regrets and you'll both become great pirates._ As he neared the execution platform he saw yet another familiar face, only this time the usually indifferent yellow eyes were bordering on slightly annoyed.

The Pirate King had tricked him once again. Mihawk had yet to beat the red haired apprentice so the Pirate King's promise was once again empty. However, the man flashed him a challenging grin as he was lead to his demise. It said, "Try and surpass me!"

The marines lead him up to the platform that towered over the square. The two officers who held his chains looked they'd rather be somewhere else right now.

"Any last words, Pirate?!" Roger grinned, deciding to play a few mind games before he met his Maker.

"Could you remove these?" He indicated to the shackles, "They're chafing my wrists."

The poor marine nearly jumped out of his skin. "Absolutely not!"

Mihawk watched as Roger laughed and dropped to the ground facing the crowd with his legs crossed. The young swordsman was amazed at the way the King treated today as if it were just another ordinary day. His attitude and posture displayed no fear about being put to death. In fact, he seemed—no—_**was**_confident that he wasn't going to die… _Impossible…Death is an inescapable fate. _And Roger's fate was already decided.

Roger looked out to the crowd. To Shanks and Buggy. And to Dracule Mihawk. He thought of Rouge and their unborn child. He thought of all the rookies in the crowd. _Inherited Will. The Destiny of the Age. The Dreams of its People. As long as people continue to pursue the meaning of Freedom, these things will never cease to be._ The marines believed that they could stop the era of piracy with his death. Not quite. Today marked the end of an era he and Whitebeard and Shiki belonged to, but a new era would belong to another generation. The marines began to execute his death sentence when:

"Oi—Pirate King…What did you do with your treasure!" Someone in the crowd shouted out, "It's somewhere on Grand line, isn't it? You have it don't you? The greatest treasure in the world? ONE PIECE!"

The Pirate King's laugh could be heard ringing throughout the entire town. His last words hovered over the silent crowd.

"My treasure? If you want it, I'll let you have it. Search for it! I left everything in that place!"

And his death marked the start of the Great Pirate Age.

Only the weather seemed to join in the mourning of Shanks and Buggy. Rain drenched them, the drops mixing in with their tears. Though they promised themselves they wouldn't break down…losing Roger was just too much for them. All the while the crowd around them became rowdier and rowdier as pirates declared that they'll be the ones to find One Piece.

"This is no place for a couple of young'ns to be moping around, especially you two," said Raoul, the old barkeep of the Gold Roger. He herded the two boys away from the town square. "The marines are very adamant about capturing anyone and everyone associated with Gold Roger. They catch you here and you'll share Roger's fate."

"Caaaaptaaain!" sobbed Buggy. "Naze?"

Shanks said nothing as he allowed himself to be pushed down an alleyway to the bar. He clutched the sides of the straw hat as if it were too precious to let go.

"I don't serve your kind here, Garp!" growled the bartender as he escorted the two rookies through the door. The vice-admiral was sitting at the bar, helping himself to a bottle of rum. Buggy glared at the marine.

"You bastard," he cried in pained anguish, "You capture Roger-senchou, and then have nerve enough to show up at his favorite bar?! I'll kill you!"

"…So… He chose not to tell you runts." Garp set the glass down solemnly and proceeded to pour himself another glass. 

"Tell us what?" spat the clown. Shanks looked up, curious at what he meant.

Garp held his glass up in salute, "To a man who did everything to the extreme. No other has ever made fools of the World Government and the Navy more than Gol D. Roger. I never had more pleasure than chasing that man across the Four Blues and Grand line." He downed the liquor and left the bar. As he came up the two, he said quietly, "He said to me once, 'A man only dies when he is forgotten.'

"Like everything else he did in life, Roger chose his own fate. I didn't arrest him…He wouldn't've let me have the satisfaction. He turned himself in…There will never be another like Roger."

"The captain turned himself in?"Buggy whispered, "Why would he do something like that?"

"'He chose his own fate'…Roger wasn't about to succumb to his disease." Shanks realized.

"And, after the stunt he pulled today, he will forever be remembered as the man who opened the curtains to the New Age of Piracy." Both boys turned around as Dracule Mihawk strolled in.

"Come to watch our captain get humiliated?" Buggy growled at the older boy.

"Hn. I hardly say he was humiliated," Mihawk walked to a table in the nearby corner and sat down. "I simply came to pay my respects to a man who shook the world."

The bar was silent for a moment. "Are you going stand there all day?"

"Is it safe?" Buggy whispered anxiously in Shanks' ear. The last time Shanks tried to sit near Hawk Eye, he had perfectly good ale dumped on him. The swordsman stared at them expectantly. Shanks shrugged and sat down. Buggy inched into the chair across from him. Raoul brought a pitcher of Saké to their table. When Mihawk pulled out a bag of Beli, he shook his head, "On the house."

They drank in silence, each a prisoner of his own thoughts. Buggy succumbed to tears again, only this time he was silent about it. Shanks seemed to stare off into space. Mihawk brooded on the last year and Roger's advise. The Pirate King told him to be more cautious about whom he challenged and Mihawk was beginning to understand why he said what he said. Not a week after his fight with Shanks, he heard that Marco the Phoenix was forced to join the Whitebeard Pirates after he lost to their captain, Edward Newgate. Crocodile had a similar run in with the legendary giant. And a month ago, Gekko Moria was sent back to the first half of Grand line after Kaido obliterated his entire crew shortly upon entering the New World.

"So where's the rest of your crew?" Raoul broke the silence. The three youngsters broke out of their reverie.

"Roger ordered us not to draw attention to ourselves," Shanks said, "But Buggy and I felt that we needed to see the captain one last time…"

"Will you be going after One Piece? You know where it is after all."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Buggy shuddered. "I never want to go to _that_ part of Grand line ever again!"

"Nah, not me." Shanks leaned back in his chair. "I just want to sail wherever I want. I'm not looking to conquer anything. How about you, Hawkeye? "

"I'm not interested in treasure." Mihawk closed his eyes. "What I'm after is the title of the strongest swordsman."

"Join my crew." His eyes shot open as Buggy crashed to floor. Raoul grinned as he wiped glasses "Huh?"

"Where the _hell _did that come from?" Buggy rounded on Shanks.

"We're all starting a new journey today," Shanks said, "So, I figure, why not do it as nakama?"

"I'm not about to take orders from you! _You_ should join _my _crew!" The clown growled.

"If you were in charge, we'd never get anywhere." Shanks stated flatly. One could almost imagine steam coming out of Buggy's ears.

"I sail alone." These words cut through Buggy's witty comeback. Both cabin boys looked at Mihawk.

"Why?" Shanks asked.

"It's easier that way," the lone swordsman stood up. "There's no one to slow me down."

"That's Grand line you're talking about. Going there with a just a small crew is dangerous as it is." Raoul said, "Going alone is suicide."

Mihawk simply ignored the bartender and made to leave.

"You know…We never did finish our fight." The swordsman froze. Shanks rocked back in his chair so that only one eye could be seen under the straw hat, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"Is that a challenge?" Mihawk glanced over his shoulder with a similar grin; although, to Buggy, it seemed a lot more sinister.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Shanks stood up and held out his hand, "What do you say? The next time we meet, we'll settle the score."

Mihawk didn't shake his hand but laughed as he left, "Kuwhahaha! Agreed."

Buggy regarded the two as though they were some strange sort of monsters. 'They're both nuts!' 

**To be continued…**

**A/N: I have to say…This is the first time I've updated a story and it not taken a year to do so. ***whispers*** Now if I could only do that with my Kingdom Hearts fanfic…**

**Anyway, this chapter is a little slow…I had to include the Pirate King's execution…This scene was actually taken from chapter/episode zero. **

"**Iron Fist" Garp: I decided to use the literal translation of Garp's nickname because it sounds much better than "Garp the Fist"**

**Raoul: the barowner of the Gold Roger…He appeared only in the anime, during the logue town arch.**

**Japanese terms:**

**-senchou: captain **

**Naze?: Why? Just from listening it seems to be used more in stressful situations than 'doushite'. Of course I could be wrong. Again feel free to correct me.**

**Sadly, this will be the last time Buggy will appear. Sorry.**


	3. Let the Sleeping Dog Lie

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Let the Sleeping Dog Lie

Somewhere on Grandline there is an island that is considered a pirate's haven. Only a few marines are brave enough to hold their ground on said island. Our story begins in a small alleyway, just outside a shady tavern on a bright sunny day…

Several drunkards stumbled out the bar, their wasted merriment ringing off the walls. Outside, light had been brighter than in the tavern, which didn't help the mood of their intoxicated leader. Once his eyes adjusted, he attempted to gather his bearings. The alley was void of life except for a gruff old man quietly haggling with a cook and young man in a large feathered hat asleep on top several stacked crates.

"Look 'Kashira," giggled one of the louder drunkards, "Kid's sleepin the day 'way. We should wake 'im up!"

"Wakey, Wakey," another drunkard approached the sleeper, "Rise and shine, Sleep—!" The poor fool never got to finish. His head bounced several times before coming to a stop at the feet of his companions.

They stood staring apprehensively at the spot. The body dropped, revealing the sleeper holding a large sword. Cold yellow eyes glared back at them. There was a small staring contest as the drunken group took awhile to grasp what just happened. The old man stopped his dealing to watch the scene as the cook fled back into the safety of his kitchen. Reality set in as the leader roared in anger. He failed several times before finally pulling his cutlass from its sheath. The group charged the young man, fully intending to take revenge; however, they never got close. With a single sweep of his arm, the youth beheaded the entire group.

As he went to wipe the blood from the blade, the old man spoke up, "Don't you think that was overdoing it a bit?"

"I was defending myself," Dracule Mihawk said, sheathing his sword.

"They hardly knew what they were doing."

"Don't care," Mihawk pulled his hat down over his eyes as he attempted to get back to sleep. The old man tugged on his braided mustache and went to fetch the cook again, shaking his head as he went.

Not five minutes had passed, when a commotion issued in the alleyway causing Mihawk to wake again. He looked up the alleyway just in time to see four people come crashing down the hill. The irritable swordsman made for his sword again when he spotted a familiar looking straw hat.

"Red Hair." The redhead looked up. Only one person called him that. Sure enough sitting at the bottom of the hill, looking annoyed was his rival. He skidded to a stop in front of Mihawk's perch.

"Yo, Hawk Eye!" He said energetically after catching his breath. The others that had been with him collapsed at his feet or, to be more precise, two collapsed. The large fat man hardly looked phased as he stood munching on a meat melon. The skinniest of the three, a young man with a black afro and the word 'YASOPP' printed on his bandana, was on his back, gulping for air.

"Shanks," he managed, "I—*_gasp_* —am— *_wheeze_*—going to KILL you!"

"Aw, come on, it wasn't that bad!"

"Wasn't that bad?" Yasopp gasped, "WASN'T THAT BAD—"

"Yasopp," The tall man with tied back black hair said calmly.

"WHAT?"

"You might not want to be sitting there." Yasopp looked down. In between his feet was one of the severed heads. Needless to say he found his strength again.

The other two laughed at their companion as Shanks shook his head at Mihawk, who ignored him. He was more interested in the younger man's newest companions.

"This is Lucky Roux." The large beefy man waved at him. He wore a green shirt with a matching bandana, khaki colored shorts and a thick pair of glasses that shielded his eyes. He inhaled what was left of the meat, bone included, and belched.

"My sharpshooter, Yasopp." Yasopp was off to the side muttering curses under his breath as he tried to wipe blood from his pants. Hawkeye finally noticed the two flintlock guns carefully concealed on his person.

"And my first mate, Ben Beckman." The man stood up and shook hands. He was at least a full head taller than Mihawk and maybe a few years older. Strapped to his side, was a beaten up old rifle.

"Introductions aside, as much as I'd like to sit and chat," Shanks threw a quick glance over his shoulder. While some part in the back of his mind registered the action, Mihawk was simply too tired to care. "I'm in something of a hurry."

"And yet you've found time to interrupt my nap." Mihawk stated in annoyance.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Shanks defended, "I figured taking the back alleys was the only way to lose—"

"**FOUND YOU, KOZOU!**" Shanks lost all color in his face as the bellow sounded behind them. The five outlaws looked up. Standing at the top of the hill, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, swim trunks and sandals, was none other than Monkey D. Garp grinning manically. He glanced over his soon to be captives and settled on the swordsman.

"Looks like today's my lucky day! One more pirate to put out of commission." He pulled out a cannon ball from nowhere and chucked it with all his might at the small group.

* * *

"Why do I let you talk me into these things, Shanks?" Yasopp whined after they made it back to their ship. Mihawk and Shanks were the only ones who managed to come out of the confrontation relatively unscathed. "'There are no marines on this island' you said. 'It's a safe haven for pirates' you said!"

"Hehe…I didn't realize Garp used this island to hide from Sengoku." Shanks rubbed his nose. The angry fleet admiral had been their saving grace.

"We wouldn't have had to deal with him if _someone_ hadn't tried to pick his pocket." Ben stated calmly as he lit a cigarette.

"How was I supposed to know who he was? The entire time I sailed with Roger, not once did Garp come off as someone who shirked his duties." Shanks said, "Look on the bright side, everyone's still in one piece, right?"

Ben shook his head as Yasopp face-palmed; their captain's carefree nature was going to be the end of them one day. Being a Red-Hair pirate was certainly turning out to be a real chore, Yasopp sighed; then flinched as a murderous aura flickered into existence.

Mihawk considered himself to be a patient man. Many of the insects he faced found out the hard way that he wasn't easily provoked. Yet, how was it that every time he ran into Shanks, this boy in the straw hat managed to weasel his way under Mihawk's iron wall of tolerance and press every button he ever had _**twice**_?

The pirate in question was currently unaware of his impending doom as he continually joked with his crew. He was just telling Roux about throwing a party tonight when something shiny caught his eye.

"Oh look! A beri!" He bent down to pick it up. As he did, a small breeze passed over nearly knocking off his hat. Grinning, he stood back up. "Luckyyyy! Eh? What's wrong?"

He turned to find Ben, Yasopp and Roux standing stock still. The cigarette Ben lit had fallen from his open mouth. He looked out toward the open ocean they were gawking at. When they sailed in that morning, there had been a large outcropping of rocks in the middle of the bay. Now all that remained was a flat table top no higher than his neck.

"Oi! What's the big idea?" Shanks angrily spun around to face the swordsman just as he sheathed his nodachi.

Mihawk sniffed, "I missed."

This lone comment only served to enrage the younger pirate even more. He pulled out his rapier. "Teme, you wanna fight? Let's go!"

"Gladly."

Ben was the first to recover from shock._ Here we go again. _"Try not to destroy the ship," he sighed, heading back to town. If he had to choose between breaking up their fights and the crazy vice-admiral; he'd choose the crazy vice-admiral.

**A/N: Well it's been almost a year since I posted for this story. I've been done with the chapter for a few months; I just wasn't able to get around to posting it. Life decided to kick my legs out from under me. I came up with this idea after a comment made in the Baratie arch. I also inserted another character that people should be able to recognize. Can you guess who it is? **

**Shanks: 17yrs**

**Mihawk: 21yrs**

**Japanese terms:**

'**Kashira, Okashira- a more revered title for a captain or leader.**

**Kozou- brat or punk**

**I have a question: would you, the reader, like me to use the Japanese nicknames for the characters or would you prefer I stick to using the English translation? (I.e. Hawkeye=Takanome, Red Hair= Akagami) Also I'm thinking of doing a story of Sabo surviving and meeting Trafalgar Law. It'd be in the same format of this one. Tell me what you think. As always please review. Constructive criticism is welcome both for the story and the proper use of the Japanese language.**


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